Abram in Egypt^(A)

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live there, for the famine was severe in the land. ¹¹ When he was getting near to Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know you are a beautiful woman. ¹² Therefore, when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will then kill me, but they will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister so that I may be treated well for your sake. Then my life will be spared because of you.”

¹⁴ So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful. ¹⁵ The princes of Pharaoh saw her and commended her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake and he had sheep and livestock, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Abram’s wife, Sarai. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh called Abram, and said, “What have you done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now here is your wife; take her and leave.” ²⁰ Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.

Isaac and Abimelek^(A)

26 There was a famine in the land, in addition to the first famine that was during the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. ² The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land of which I will tell you. ³ Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you; for I will give to you and all your descendants all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. ⁴ I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of the heavens and will give your descendants all these lands. By your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed,^{[a] 5} because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” ⁶ So Isaac lived in Gerar.

⁷ The men of the place asked him about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” thinking, “The men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful in appearance.”

⁸ When he had been there a long time, Abimelek the king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac caressing Rebekah his wife. ⁹ Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is surely your wife, so how is it you said, ‘She is my sister’?”

Then Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘I might die on account of her.’ ”

¹⁰ Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might have easily lain with your wife, and you might have brought guilt upon us!”

¹¹ Abimelek charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”